The purpose of the training is explain the company's environmental policies and practices and to emphasize that the policies are the same at sea as they are ashore. There have been examples of vast gaps between shipboard environmental culture and corporate environmental culture that have lead to pollution incidents. For example, there have been cases of ships' crews disabling oily water separators and pumping oil into the sea thinking that they are helping meet budgets set by shore side management offices. The crews thought that shore side management wasn't really serious about its environmental policies on ships.

It is important that shipboard staff understand that company environmental policies are not just for shore side management's use. The policies apply equally on ships as in corporate offices. This must be confirmed by the highest levels of the organization. The organization's CEO or highest level should publish a statement confirming that sea staff are expected to follow the organization's environmental policy and that there will be no retaliation against staff who comply with or follow the policy.

From more information refer to marinedefenders.com/mobilereporting/. The app allows you to photograph and GPS map pollution that you find floating around in the water. When you report an oil spill or marine debris with the Marine Defenders app, your report is sent to the Marine Defenders database, where it appears on an interactive google map. Oil spill reports are also sent to the National Response Center, which is the federal agency responsible for receiving oil and chemical spill reports. The NRC will inform the US Coast Guard of the incident, which will prompt a real response to your pollution event.

About the Video

Oil in Our Waters [ for more information see: from http://www.marinedefenders.com/video/ ] is a 22-minute documentary about the illegal dumping of oil from ships. This film explores the extent of the problem, the impact of oil on the marine environment, the creation of MARPOL, the rewards for whistleblowers, and the penalties faced by polluters caught in the United States.

Meet the Coast Guard inspectors, Justice Department lawyers, and scientists who are leading the fight against marine oil pollution!.